Google VP Andrew Moore Named Dean of Carnegie Mellon’s School of Computer Science

Article Published: April 25, 2014

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Google vice president Andrew W. Moore has been selected as the new dean of Carnegie Mellon University’s renowned School of Computer Science (SCS), effective this August. Moore, a distinguished computer scientist with expertise in machine learning and robotics, served as a professor of computer science and robotics at CMU before being named founding director of Google’s Pittsburgh engineering office in 2006.

Moore’s appointment adds further momentum to President Suresh’s initiatives aimed at enhancing the connections among CMU’s world-renowned research, its innovative and entrepreneurial culture, and expanding interactions with industry and government. Carnegie Mellon’s pioneering leadership in computer technologies, seamlessly leveraged with its expertise in the sciences, engineering, arts, design, policy, business and humanities, provides significant opportunities for shaping the 21st century in which computing and data are poised to play a transformative role in the daily lives of billions of global citizens.

“Andrew Moore combines an expansive vision, scientific expertise, and leadership strength that make him extraordinarily well suited to be dean of the School of Computer Science,” said Carnegie Mellon President Subra Suresh. “As computing grows ever more critical to our global society, the scope of SCS and its importance to the world will continue to expand and its impact on the human condition will be more evident. Andrew is particularly well positioned to lead the School at this time.”

SCS is known for its breadth of focus; faculty research includes not only the creation of better computer hardware and software, but also studies of the diverse effects of computing on society and the world. Google opened its Pittsburgh office on CMU’s campus in 2006 to gain proximity to its computer science talent.

“Andrew Moore has been a respected contributor to Google and the Pittsburgh community since he helped start the office there in 2006,” said Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman of Google Inc., a former member of the CMU Board of Trustees and the keynote speaker at Suresh’s inauguration last November as the ninth president of Carnegie Mellon. “Some of Google’s strongest talent has come out of CMU, and we look forward to continuing our relationship with the university. I know Andrew will help inspire the next generation of innovators.”

Moore’s research ranges from improving manufacturing methods and finding distant asteroids in space to early detection of bioterrorism using data on over-the-counter medication purchases. His CMU-based research group, the Auton Lab, collaborates closely with other scientists, government agencies and technology companies. Auton Lab algorithms are now in use in dozens of commercial, university and government applications.

“Ever since college I have been inspired by the world-changing ideas and technologies that come out of CMU. I’m privileged to return to the School of Computer Science in this new role,” said Andrew Moore. “I have had a wonderful 8 years at Google Pittsburgh: a place which I believe has the most creative and driven gang of computer scientists in the world. We plan to remain great friends within the broader context of growing Pittsburgh’s leadership in science and technology.”

Under Moore’s leadership, Google Pittsburgh has grown to hundreds of employees. Moore led essential engineering contributions to Google’s services, including AdWords, Shopping and Search, as well as core Google engineering infrastructure and tools. Since 2010, the company has annually been among Carnegie Mellon’s largest employers, with more than 500 alumni now working for the company worldwide.

Carnegie Mellon’s School of Computer Science

Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, SCS is widely regarded as one of the best computer science programs in the world. U.S. News and World Report has ranked CMU’s graduate program in computer science No. 1 since 2011. CMU faculty have made groundbreaking contributions to search engines, network security, life-saving robots, driverless cars, computer vision, language processing and technologies for learning. CMU scholars Alan Perlis, Allen Newell and Nobel Prize winner Herbert Simon were among the founding fathers of the discipline of computer science. Moreover, CMU is home to 12 winners of the Turing Award, the highest honor in computer science research.

Faculty and students at SCS have developed some of the world’s best known and most frequently used technologies from CAPTCHA web security tests to kidney donor matching methods and the 2013 App of the Year, “Duolingo”. The first emoticon, known as “Smiley” :-), was created at CMU. In

addition, SCS gave birth to technologies such as the GigaPan camera system, a robotic device that allows any camera to shoot multibillion-pixel panoramic images; Alice, a software platform developed to teach students computer programming by creating 3D animations and video games; and the Mach kernel that lies at the heart of Apple’s primary operating system, OS X. It is also where robots have been created to clean up nuclear waste, travel to places humans cannot reach and to assist with minimally invasive surgery.

Moore received a doctorate from the University of Cambridge in 1991 and joined the CMU faculty in 1993 following two years of post-doctoral research. In 2005, he was elected a fellow of the American Association for Artificial Intelligence. Andrew lives in Pittsburgh with his wife, Mary, and two children, William and Lucy.

Moore succeeds Randal E. Bryant, who will return to the CMU faculty after serving as dean since 2004.